Earth Day
Today is Earth Day. The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, in fact. What was hoped to be a monumental celebration, a huge revitalisation of the push toward Earth Day’s objectives, has been moved online and will undoubtedly stream to somewhat less aplomb.
I have been sitting with this date, this day, in mind for some time now. How to celebrate? What to do?
How does activism on behalf of Earth manifest in these singular, peculiar times?
Right now, it feels poignant and enough that Earth is getting a break from business as usual, from the churning megamachine of commerce and corporate capitalism. Because make no mistake, dear friends, the megamachine is churning up the Earth, sucking up ‘resources’, spitting out the remnants and poisoning everything in its wake.
In 1970, Earth Day was the dawning of that realisation. We have realised many things since. In 1970, 10% of the American population marched for Earth Day, marched for clean air and water, landscapes and ecosystems left in tact. Today, our encroachment upon ecosystems has released a virus upon the human species that has quieted the world from its hamster wheel reverie.
If they could, how many people would march today? Has apathy grown side by side with science?
What does Earth Day mean in 2020?
I give thanks. I walk the (somewhat) quieter streets and notice the air, the sky, the leaves blooming on the trees, hear the birdsong, feel Spring both within and without. I give thanks. And I know that given half a chance, Earth will bounce back. Sure, the millions of species that have already fallen extinct by our hand will likely never come again. Sure, plastic will be part of the fossil record for eons to come. Sure, humans may or may not survive the next few hundred years (this is as much a tragedy as the loss of any other species that have left this earthly plane, which are countless, literally countless in the midst of this current and very real sixth mass extinction).
But life is intelligent beyond our imagining. The life force essence that has spurred evolution over the last millions of years is unfathomably creative and enduring. I invite you to imagine what it must have been like for the first creatures to jump, climb and then jump for their food. The bravery, the will to survive, the perseverance. Then imagine the process that followed of feathers and wings and thousands and thousands of years (and no doubt many more thousand jumps and falls) that lead to birds whizzing through the sky — the bold displays of plumage, the exquisite music of their song. That, my friends, is life. And it is something we are only ever trying to understand, to interpret and emulate with our clunky technology.
So, today, 50 years of Earth Day is marked online. An attempt to celebrate the life force essence that has brought us here, and call attention to the veritably sacred role we can play as caretakers of that life force essence.
Below are some ways to virtually mark this historic event. But I invite you today to go outside, feel your feet on the ground — this Earth, your home — look up at the sky, breathe in the air, know yourself as part of that great life force essence, enjoy it!! And see what you may feel called to do on behalf of our Great Earth.
A short and inspiring video on how the founder of Earth Days daughter continues the cause today (7 minutes).
National Geographic documents significant events Earth-wide over the last 50 years.
Emergence magazines film Earthrise illustrates the journey undertaken in being able to view our Earth from space, and how that can change our perspective.